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June 19, 2018

Battle ready: Dhanush artillery gun clears final trials

The indigenously upgraded artillery gun Dhanush has successfully
completed final user trials and is ready for induction into the Army.
Dhanush is an upgraded version of the Swedish Bofors gun procured by
India in the mid-1980s.

“This was the third and final phase of
user exploitation firings in which six Dhanush guns were fired in
battery formation from May 31 to June 7, 2018 at the Pokhran field
firing range. A total of 301 rounds were fired from the six guns,
including burst fire,” said Dr. Uddipan Mukherjee, public relations
officer of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), in response to a
questionnaire from this newspaper.

The first phase of trials were
conducted between July and September 2016 at the Pokhran and Babina
ranges and the second phase was conducted between October and December
2016 at the Siachen base camp with three guns. A total of 1,520 rounds
have been fired in all the three phases.

Tested in all terrains ::

During
the trials, the guns travelled extensively in towed/ self-propelled
mode in desert and high-altitude terrains with each gun clocking over
1,000 km demonstrating their mobility.

Dr. Mukherjee said the
next step was completion of general staff (GS) evaluation after which
Bulk Production Clearance (BPC) will be accorded. The OFB already has an
indent from the Army for 114 guns and will start supplying the guns on
receipt of the BPC. “The OFB has already supplied six guns for battery
firing during the user trials. Another 12 guns will be issued within a
year on receipt of the BPC,” he stated.

The entire order of 114
guns is to be delivered within four years. To meet the requirement, the
Board has undertaken capacity augmentation to manufacture over 400
barrels and 250 ordnances for large-calibre weapon systems, Dr.
Mukherjee said, adding that the OFB was confident of producing eight to
10 guns per month within two to three years. As of now, the gun has over
80% indigenous content. The imported systems include the power pack,
parts of the electronic suite, and some seals and bearings.